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LT's crystal ball predicts disaster

6th May 1977, Page 24
6th May 1977
Page 24
Page 24, 6th May 1977 — LT's crystal ball predicts disaster
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

CUTS in support for London Transport from both the Government and the Greater London Council are presented as a recipe for disaster in LT's annual report.

The glossy report paints a gloomy future for the Executive with worn-out equipment and maintenance schedules that are allowed to slip because of cash shortages.

Much of what is said echoes speeches made by Transport and General Workers Union leader Jack Jones at the recent Save Our Services campaign in London (CM report last week).

"Public transport carries people more cheaply, with less demand on space and energy and less environmental damage than the private car," it says.

"It is to be regretted that financial support for London Transport — already relatively modest — is diminishing when foreign cities enjoy the benefits of massive assistance to their transport systems," the report argues.

Lack of financial support from the Government is blamed for the 25 per cent rise in fares inflicted on passengers in mid-1976, and that in turn was responsible for a drop of 5.5 per cent in the passenger mileage, while mileage covered rose by 1.5 per cent.

"Disturbing" is the word used by LT to describe its prospects for the current year, but it also describes its past achievements as "considerable" in the current financial climate.

LT actually managed to improve the levels of service last year despite the cash cutbacks and the undertaking stayed within the budgets set by the GLC.

"The financial support given to the undertaking was used in the best interests of passengers in general."

Its annual report says that the situation is one of making a constant effort to maintain existing levels of service with declining financial support.

Bus reliability is another problem faced by LT and it freely admits that many services are still, "unreliable and irregular — and this remains one of the most serious and worrying problems now facing London Transport."

In a 'told-you-so' comment on bus design LT says: "Unhappy experiences with standard production buses delivered in recent years appear to vindicate the policy adopted by LT up to the mid-1960s of designing its own buses for use in London.

"This policy was changed, following Government criticism of the costs of purposebuilt buses, by the prospect of reducing operating costs by rapidly converting routes to one-man operation which was initially permitted for single deck buses only.

Over the past few years LT has been plagued with problems in standard production buses that have been found — too late — to be not what was needed for one of the toughest psv jobs in the country.

Even the size of some vehicles has been found to be unworkable in London. The Red Arrow service began life using AEC Mercury vehicles which were later found to be too long, but a few still struggle around the express routes.

Trouble has been rife with the Fleetline and its Daimler power unit and it is this model that could be replaced by the long-awaited B15 project which still hangs in the balance.

Deliveries of new buses in 1976 included 270 Fleetlines and 155 Metro Scania Metropolitans which have made themselves popular with both passengers and crews.

GLC transport committee chairman Jim Daly has said that LT is to go into a consortium with other PTEs and British Leyland to produce the B15 — but quite which other PTEs are to enter the scheme is not yet certain.

This week news came that West Midlands PTE has given an emphatic thumbs down to the plan, but LT has still to find a vehicle to fill its 450-bus order, which has been delayed by the GLC, if it is not to be the B15.

Output of overhauled buses at the LT Aldenham works has had to be stepped up to cope with the numbers of vehicles needing work.

"The output of buses is to be increased to cover the additional work required until new and more reliable bus designs are available in sufficient numbers," says LT.

The executive has a bus fleet of 6,946 — compared with 6,907 last year — and a replacement need of around 600 buses a year. The GLC has authorised the purchase of 50 Leyland National single deckers, but the remaining 610 buses needed this year have not been given the green light.

In the report the only alternative given to the B15 is the Metropolitan.

Already the sole B15 prototype in service with LT operating from the Chalk Farm garage has made a favourable impression on the undertaking.

In January LT told CM that the bus had impressed both drivers and passengers — although it said that there had not been sufficient time for a complete evaluation of the vehicle.

Bus shortages hit the undertaking in 1976 as they had done in 1975 when the average daily shortage was over 900 buses in August.

The long hot summer of 1976 meant that over 400 a day was the average during the summer and autumn — and mechanical unreliability of standard buses is again blamed along with the shortage of spares.

And now a continuing backlog of deliveries of new vehicles has meant that LT still suffers from vehicle availability problems but not on the same scale as before.

LT's abortive plans for a Speedbus service also come in for a mention in the report — although it is almost a back-edged obituary.

"The executive was disappointed that the strength of objections from various groups including taxi drivers and traders led the GLC to modify substantially the proposals for a Speedbus service between Parliament Hill Fields and Peckham Rye."

In fact the substantial modifications meant that the plan was watered down to little more than an express route, but still with some advantage to passengers.

Although it plainly has a lot of problems to face, LT is reasonably pleased with its performance over the year, especially considering the bus availability and cash situations presented by Government and council.


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